Aarey site chosen due to technical feasibility

Mumbai: In the wake of protests, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in 2015 had formed a committee to review the location of the Metro car depot. Alternative sites at  Kanjurmarg, Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Backbay were proposed for metro car depot, but were shot down due to cost escalation and technical feasibility.

The committee had said that if the Kanjurmarg alternative site is not available, the double deck metro depot should be built on Aarey Colony land with revised layout. The committee pointed out, that there would be additional expenditure of Rs 750 crore.

The alternative locations were dropped and Aarey was selected as the best feasible option for metro car depot.

The MMRC also said that the frequency of Metro services would be affected as a car depot is ideally constructed at the end or starting point of the corridor, not midway. On February 18, Mr Fadnavis had assured the green activists that he had directed the MMRC to consider Kalina as an option for the Metro car depot of the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro-3 underground corridor, but it was later not accepted by MMRC citing it not to be feasible.